Letting go

Letting go

I'm normally not the sharing type, but this little piece is 50% for myself and 50% for the assholes who will crap all over me with their "dirty-capitalist-shanties".

The last 2 years were hard for my company. Not financially-hard, but hard-work-hard. We started development of a totally new software. A small team, consisting of no more than 3 people at the very beginning. I was involved. For the first time in YEARS I was in the middle of creating stuff. The team grew and what we accomplished in these two years was beyond belief. There was a cultural change in the company. At least, in the small part I was in. There were no more budget-meetings, no more dead-trees to sign, for stuff to buy. Nothing. The team was organizing itself.

Everybody, including my own partner, told me I would fail misserably. And they were right. But... not in the way anybody expected.

I did fail. The rest of the company, except a few I will mention later, could not keep up. They did not anticipate change, even worse, they hated change and tried to resist. Countless hours went up in smoke, fighting the invevitable. "That is not how we used to do thisandthat", "i was not hired for this", "I don't want to use this", "I learned that you do it this way".

I heard all of this BULLSHIT. There were people who'd rather QUIT the company than to learn how to use a fucking Mac! And that is some ridiculous shit...

I thought, if I'd just be patient, it will all work out and people come around. But, they didn't.

So, this monday, about a third of the people working for me got a nice, big FUCK YOU from me. That means, they were fired.

Fired like in: "Pack your things and go home right now, I do not want to see your stupid face ever again."

I knew I couldn't do this, legally. But I don't care. This is one for the lawyers to figure out. At the end, it's just about money. But I won't pay anyhting without every single one of them fighting for it in a court of law.

That sounds like a real dick-move from me, I give you that. But it isn't. So, hear me out:

These people had a living only because of the hard-work and commitment of others. They didn't bring anything to the table. And they had their chances. Oh boy, had they chances. Lots and lots of chances. But, they did not take them. In fact, they laughed about it behind my back. But nothing could be more far from a vendetta than this. I don't care if they laugh about me. Why would I? I have a succesful company, the greatest customers in the world, fantastic friends, a supportive family, an excellent education and shitloads of money.

But they were laughing in the faces of MY TEAM. People who care deeply for their work and for each other. And that was something, that needed to stop. Two years were enough.

So, what does that mean? That means, that we will shrink down the office as we know it. We will work remotely (which we did 80% of the time anyway) and just keep a small meeting-space, staffed with the absolute essential personnel. Everything that does not belong to our core-expertise, will be or has been outsourced. We will also work together in person, just like we did before. Maybe not in the winter, when it's cold, but in the summer. In the sun. In different cities. And I will pay for that.

And I will be happy doing so. In fact, I never felt so relieved and happy and excited than in the last few days.

So, I want to close with a big thank you to the people who stood by me, who gave me their insights and critisism, who yelled at me, but always had an open-mind and worked with me to get where we are today.